Ear clip catch for shuttles



31, 1938. TEBO EAR CLIP CATCH FOR SHUTTLES Filed Jan. 11, 1937 Ina/wagon.

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Patented May 31, 1938 UNITED STATES PATET OFFICE Application January 11, 1937, Serial No. 119,922

2 Claims.

This invention pertains to shuttles for use in looms and relates more particularly to an improved ear clip catch such as is commonly employed in shuttles for retaining the bobbin in 5 place on the spindle in opposition to the forward drag of the yarn as it is drawn off over the tip of the bobbin.

In order to grip the bobbin securely, the catch should be so designed as to engage the butt por- 10 tion of the bobbin at substantially diametrically opposite points. In accordance with a usual prior practice, the ear clip catch comprises laterally spaced jaws and is made either from two independent pieces of metal disposed at opposite sides of a recess in the rear end of the shuttle body or as a single substantially U-shaped piece of metal with its closed end disposed rearwardly and with its legs extending forwardly along opposite sides of the recess. In neither of these arrangements are the forward extremities or bobbin-engaging jaw-portions of these spaced elements so rigidly united as to prevent them from becoming spread apart abnormally, particularly after a prolonged period of use, or from being bent by blows or by reason of carelessness on the part of the user when attempting to place the bobbin in the shuttle, so that frequently these prior clips are ineffective to hold the bobbin securely.

so The principal object of the present invention is to provide an ear clip catch which will better withstand the viscissitudes of use than do those of usual prior construction, and in particular to provide a catch of very simple and inexpensive :35 construction having its bobbin-engaging jawportions so disposed as to engage the butt portion of the bobbin at substantially diametrically opposite points and so rigidly united that their initial predetermined spacing and relative ar- 40 rangement can not readily be changed during use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be made manifest in the following more detailed description and by reference to the accom- 4 3 panying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a shuttle of the type to which the present invention relates, showing the improved ear clip catch installed therein;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section 50 through the rear end portion of a shuttle equipped with the improved catch, showing the mode of operation of the latter;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

55 Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of the rear or butt portion of a bobbin such as may be used in a shuttle of the kind shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a. plan view of a blank of a contour desirable for use in making the improved catch of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the improved catch removed from the shuttle;

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the catch;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the catch;

Fig. 9 is a vertical section substantially on the 10 line 99 of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 10 is an elevation of the front end of the catch, looking rearwardly.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l designates a shuttle such as is used in looms for Weaving textile fabric, the shuttle having the usual longitudinal chamber 2 for the reception of the bobbin, this chamber being provided with a rearward narrow extension 3. The shuttle is furnished with a spindle 4 designed to enter an axial bore in the bobbin, this spindle having a pivotal portion 5 which is disposed in the extension 3 of the bobbin chamber and which is pivoted to swing in a vertical plane on a pin 6 embedded in the shuttle body.

The improved ear clip catch 1 forming the immediate subject matter of the present invention is conveniently made from a blank of the general shape shown in Fig. 8. This blank may consist of a length of sheet metal, for example steel, having substantially parallel edges 9 and It and preferably having its. ends II and N beveled or inclined as shown in Fig. 5. This blank is furnished with a recess [2 of substantially U- shape extending inwardly from its edge 9 and disposed centrally of its length, such recess having the substantially parallel edges l3 and M which merge into the curved lower edge portion of the recess.

In forming the catch, this blank is shaped, as 40 by bending, pressing or the like, the principal bending taking place in the locality of the dotted lines m, n of Fig. 5 so as to cause the end portions 20 and 2! of the blank to be brought into substantially parallel planes and spaced apart a distance such that the pivotal portion 5 of the shuttle spindle 4 may be disposed between them. These end portions 20 and 2| of the blank may be furnished with openings l8 and I9, respectively, either before or during the shaping operation, these openings being brought in alignment when the parts 20 and 2| are disposed in parallel relation and being designed to receive the pin 6 upon which the spindle is pivoted, such pin thus also constituting means for anchoring the catch in fixed position within the shuttle body.

In bending the material of the blank, it is bowed outwardly at the regions 22 and 23 so as to form a chamber 24 just to the rear of the central part l2 of the blank which now constitutes a connecting web integrally uniting the members 20 and 2| at the forward end of the clip.

The edges I3 and I4 of the recess in the blank are so spaced apart that after the blank has been bent to the shape shown in Fig. 6, they will receive between them the narrow neck l5 of a bobbin B (Fig. 4), such neck joining the yarn-receiving portion l6 and the butt portion I! of the bobbin. The edges l3 and I4 in efiect constitute bobbin-gripping jaws and engage the neck l5 at diametrically opposite points with a fairly snug fit,the chamber 24, which lies behind the web I2 being of such dimensions as to admit the butt portion 1 of the bobbin.

After the clip has been formed as thus de-- scribed, it is disposed within the recess or extension 3 of the bobbin chamber;-the pivotal portion 5 of the spindle is disposed between the parallel legs and 2! of the catch, and the pin or bolt 6 is then inserted, thereby firmly anchoring the clip in position with its forward portion disposed just within the bobbin chamber 2 and at the rear end of the latter. In the normal position of the spindle 4, in which it lies longitudinally of the chamber 2 of the shuttle, the spindle extends outwardly through the recess l2 of the catch and is substantially concentric with the arcuate edge of the recess. In placing the bobbin in the shuttle, the spindle is swung upwardly out of the bobbin chamber, the bobbin is then pushed down onto the spindle until it engages a suitable stop on the spindle, and then the spindle with the bobbin is swung downwardly into the bobbin chamber, the butt portion I! of the bobbin moving down into the chamber 24 of the catch while the jaws, that is to say, the spaced edges l3 and I4 of the recess, enter the groove or neck portion l5 of the bobbin and thus positively prevent the bobbin from moving forward within the bobbin chamber.

Since the jaws l3 and M of the catch are integrally joined by the web portion lZ which underlies the rear part of the bobbin when the latter is in place, it is substantially impossible for these jaws or edges 13 and I4 to become displaced relatively to each other during use so that they would no longer properly engage the bobbin butt and perform their intended function. This rigid web I2 tends to keep the edges I3 and I4 in vertical alignment and in the same plane; prevents their spreading apart; and greatly strengthens the clip in opposition to the downward pressure to which it is subjected frequently by the carelessness of the operator in attempting to swing the bobbin down into the shuttle before the bobbin has been properly seated against the spindle stop.

The catch is thus much more reliable than those ordinarily employed; it engages the bobbin at diametrically opposite points in accordance with the best usage ln such devices; it is. far more durable than those commonly employed; and it is so simple and cheap to construct and install that it may be availed of by all users of shuttles of this general type without undue expense.

While one desirable embodiment of the invention has been illustrated by way of example, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to the precise details of construction or to the mode of forming the device herein described, but is to be regarded as broadly inclusive of any device having similar characteristics and such as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An ear clip catch for loom shuttles comprising a unitary length of sheet metal of substantially uniform width but having a downwardly concave recess substantially midway its extremities, the end portions of said strip being disposed in substantially parallel spaced planes to form side members, said side members being provided with openings for the reception of anchorage means, the recessed mid-portion of the strip constituting a transverse web disposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the planes of said end portions and the material of the side members being bowed outwardly adjacent to their junction with the web toprovide a chamber for the bobbin butt.

2. An ear clip catch for a loom shuttle having a pivoted bobbin-receiving spindle, said catch comprising a unitary elongate strip of sheet metal of substantially uniform width disposed to form spaced elongate side members, and a transverse web integrally uniting said members at their forward ends, said web being substantially perpendicular to the 'planes of the side members and having a recess extending downwardly from its upper edge, the opposite edges of the recess constituting bobbin-engaging elements operative to engage the rear portion of a bobbin at substantially diametrically opposite points, the side members being substantially parallel and spaced apart to receive the pivotal end of the spindle between them, said side members having openings for the reception of a pivot pin operative to form a pivot for the spindle and also to constitute anchorage means to fix the clip in the shuttle body, the forward portion of the clip just to the rear of the transverse web being transversely widened to form a chamber for the reception of the bobbin butt, said chamber being open both at its top and bottom.

DAVID A. TEBO. 

